[Thrifty Chiffchaff]

Hi all  . I've just been given a patch of land to grow veg on the croft where I keep my bees. The plot is currently occupied by two donkeys and is quite compacted, consisting of bare earth and short grazed grass. The crofter's going to rotovate the whole plot to break up the compacted soil. He has machinery that'll make light work of it, but I think it'll be easier for him if he does the whole plot, rather than individual beds.

I'm wondering if anyone's ever started with a completely tilled plot like this, and how you went about sectioning it into beds and making paths in between? In the past I've only made beds in lawns, and left grass paths in between them. I'm on a super-tight budget, so can't bring in a load of wood chips or membrane etc. I'll take some photos next time I'm there!

[Yorkie]

Welcome to the site and that's an interesting plot you've got there.

How much grass is there, and is it very rough grass? Are there any other weeds in it?

The issue with rotavating is that it chops any weeds up into lots of different bits, from which a new plant grows.  But if the ground is very hard, then it may be the only option and then for you to have a strategy to keep on top of it - there is no disgrace in using weedkiller if that will be the only way for you to keep on regrowth of areas you haven't yet got round to cultivating (and can't use lots of cardboard etc to cover large areas).

As far as organising the area, some people prefer not to have paths because they are relatively inflexible, and the grass risks regrowth on them (and then into the beds).

On my first plot I had 3 larger beds, each about 3 yards x 4 yards. They were large enough to have decent areas for different crops (essentially a 6-bed system, using half a bed for each crop). I then used small amounts of weed covering to cover the couch grass on the paths, weighted down with bricks.

But some people prefer to have much narrower beds, eg. 4' wide x 16' long. This is about the max width to cultivate easily without walking on the beds, if that's important to you. However, I have inherited this arrangement on my new plot, and it's a right pain for crops that need a bit more space such as potatoes when they are earthed up.

I would avoid any permanent planting for a year, until you have a better handle on perennial weeds, and know what the drainage / soil conditions are like across the plot.

The main website has loads of useful articles, including:
https://www.allotment-garden.org/gardening-information/planning-garden-allotment-clearance/
https://www.allotment-garden.org/gardening-information/allotment-vegetable-plot-planning-software/
https://www.allotment-garden.org/crop-rotation/
https://www.allotment-garden.org/gardening-information/
https://www.allotment-garden.org/articles-advice/

[Subversive_plot]

Hello Thrifty Chiffchaff!  Welcome!

I am not sure how large a space you have in your patch of land, but here goes.  I am just supplementing the good advice provided by Yorkie.

Laying out paths.  Between two types of plants, I would make any walkway at least as wide as the distance between rows for the plant requiring the greatest distance between rows.  For example, tomatoes require rows about 3 feet apart (some say 4), while courgettes require 24 to 30 inches apart (again, some say more), so I would allow paths at least 3 feet wide, or more.  Cultivated space between paths should be a useful bed size for what you intend to grow, and not so wide that it is difficult to reach the middle of the bed from your paths.  You can start with paths that are just places you routinely walk (no mulch) but if you can lay down a cheap/free mulch (mulched brown leaves, spent straw, or something else) to keep down weeds and prevent compaction, it will look better and reduce soil compaction.  Even better, lay down some cardboard first, then lay your free mulch on top of that. 

Sticking with the thrifty/tight budget theme, does the crofter have something like a lawn mower with a bagger that you can use on spots with brown leaves etc.?  You cutting and bagging in areas that he wants cut may ease work for the crofter, and benefit you with some free mulch.

You may need to move paths to accommodate beds that change size or shape. If you have to dig up compacted soil from a path, and have the option of doing so during the cold months, dig up coarse clumps of soil, turn them over, and let the frost tear them apart for you ("frost heaving" does a great job breaking up soil, without breaking your back).  Right now, the paths between my beds are just "pine straw" (needles) raked up from my yard, and placed where I need them. 

For some crops (examples: sweet corn, pumpkins) a successful planting may be a larger "patch", or block, rather than a bed of a certain width.  Just make a useful path to access that patch.

[Alank]

Hi thrifty
I'm in the North West of county durham so it's not as cold here as in the Highlands will be very interesting to see how you progress with your new allotment.
I had a similar start on my allotment the ground I turned into allotments was an old horse paddock well trodden ground and covered in rough grass and any type of weeds you could imagine.
Over the last few years I've successfully transformed the horse paddock into eight allotments shared by myself and other family members all producing fruit vegetables eggs etc
You will be looking at some graft but it's more than worth it.
Here's my two pennies worth.
I first got the land ploughed then I rotovated the whole area removing rocks etc the only path I had for the first couple of years was down the middle for the wheelbarrow.
I did not have individual beds that all came later after I had broken the land.
I planted potatoes etc in long rows more like a farm than an allotment.
I only planted crops that I new were suitable to that area to ensure I at least got a return as I didn't have polly tunnels or greenhouses at the start.
I removed as many of the larger weeds like docks by hand and once the land had been levelled and raked down obviously all the seeds that had been lying dormant sprang to life and the whole area was covered in weeds again that's when I applied weedkiller to the whole area.
I worked the ground like this for two years applying loads of manure and rotovated it in at the back end of the year.
The results of this meant that I had a huge area of fertile well worked top soil available when I decided to proceed with making the raised beds.
It also gave me time to exactly plan where I wanted to have the raised beds, greenhouse polly tunnels sheds and hens etc all layed out in the most efficient way.
I'm pleased I took my time instead of rushing into it and would just treat it as one large fertile productive area initially and the rest of the layout of paths etc will be better thought out later on.
Best of luck when you start with a blank canvas there is nothing set in stone and you will definitely see the rewards for your efforts .

[Rob the rake]

I'll echo the advice about space between the beds. I left about 2 feet, which is perhaps a little narrow for most folk; I'm a hobbit, so just about get away with it, but taller species would be likely to struggle.

On my heavy clay soil, it seemed sensible to break up the lower spit to aid drainage, so I employed the time-honoured double-digging method after marking out the bed areas and paths. It's a lot of work, but well worth it. Double digging, incorporating bulky organics into the lower spit, also increases the soil volume and so appreciably raises the height of soil in the bed above that of the surrounding land and reducing backache from bending. It goes without saying that some sort of material is required for the sides of the bed when using this method, whereas single-dug beds can be left open, heaped higher towards the centre line.

https://www.rhs.org.uk/Advice/Grow-Your-Own/Allotments/Allotment-styles/Double-digging

 I raised the soil height even further by taking out the topsoil from the paths and putting this on the beds, replacing it with chipped woody material kindly supplied to the allotment site by our friendly neighbourhood garden maintenance-type fella. This has an added bonus in that it rots down into a beautiful rich compost over several years, at which point it can be used as such and then replaced by fresh chippings.

I originally used scaffolding planks for the sides; suitably treated with a non-toxic preservative or paint they lasted about 10 years. In more recent times I've used wooden decking, which is often given away for free by those who replace them when they get a bit scruffy. With the narrower decking it's easy to add another layer to increase the height when the soil volume increases as you continue to add composts and so on over the years.

Most of my beds are about a metre wide, but I deliberately made some wider ones, about 1.5 metres, to accommodate spuds and suchlike, which need the extra space.